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Godolphin LLC, which campaigned 14 North American graded stakes winners, including four Breeders' Cup winners, repeated as leading owner by earnings, and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., established single-season earnings and stakes wins records as the leading jockey according to final statistics released Tuesday by Equibase Company LLC, the Thoroughbred industry's official database for racing information. Chad C. Brown pulled away in the final weeks of the year to end up on top as the leading trainer by earnings, his first title since 2019.

The year-end compilations are distributed annually by Equibase and include results from Thoroughbred racing in North America from January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022. Expanded North American racing leaders' lists that include all trainers, jockeys, owners, and horses are available within the statistical section at equibase.com. These lists include the ability to look at leaders in a variety of categories, including age, sex, surface, graded races, foaling year for horses, and the inclusion of designated foreign races, such as the Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup races.

Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (Gr. 1) winner Flightline, who won each of his three North American races by large margins, led all Thoroughbreds in North American earnings with $4,255,000. In addition to his 8 ¼-length win in the Classic, Flightline won the TVG Pacific Classic Stakes (Gr. 1) by 19 ¼ lengths and the Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Stakes (Gr. 1) by 6 lengths. When including earnings from Dubai World Cup and Saudi Cup days, Country Grammer ended the year with earnings of $10,900,000 on the virtue of his Dubai World Cup win and Saudi World Cup second-place finish.

Completing the list of top 10 horses by North American earnings were Life Is Good with $2,882,500, Olympiad with $2,862,120, Epicenter with $2,810,000, Rich Strike with $2,470,200, Rebel's Romance (Ire) with $2,080,000, Malathaat with $2,055,675, Cyberknife with $2,012,520, Taiba with $1,956,200, and Nest with $1,768,050.

Some of the leading horses also were the top earners from their respective foal crops. The leading earners by foaling year from the past five years were Forte (by Violence, 2020 foal crop), Epicenter (by Not This Time, 2019),  Essential Quality (by Tapit, 2018), Authentic (by Into Mischief, 2017), and Knicks Go (by Paynter, 2016).

For the second consecutive year, Godolphin – with 88 North American wins from 438 starts – was a dominant force among owners in 2022 with earnings of $16,343,067, down from its single-season earnings record of $17.4 million set in 2021. Completing the list of top 10 owners by North American earnings in 2022 were Klaravich Stables, Inc., $9,438,582 (84 wins / 336 starts); Peter M. Brant, $7,772,253 (54/183); Winchell Thoroughbreds, $5,661,750 (33/147);  Juddmonte, $5,633,762 (38/144); End Zone Athletics Inc., $4,904,429 (254/1,222); Stonestreet Stables, $4,819,200 (49/162); Hronis Racing LLC, Siena Farm LLC, Summer Wind Equine LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing LLC, $4,255,000 (3/3); Lothenbach Stables, Inc. (Bob Lothenbach), $4,142,340 (87/378); and D J Stable LLC, $4,027,993 (34/228).

Brown sent out the winners of 244 races from 309 starters with 922 starts for earnings of $31,057,362 in 2022. Completing the list of top 10 trainers by North American earnings were Todd A. Pletcher, $30,482,937 (223 wins / 342 starters / 1,020 starts); Steven M. Asmussen, $28,579,134 (382/594/2,155); Brad H. Cox, $23,851,590 (222/326/916); William I. Mott, $16,848,240 (102/195/605); Michael J. Maker, $16,508,941 (209/370/1,215); Mark E. Casse, $15,486,420 (209/386/1,401); Philip D'Amato $11,954,300 (125/175/612); Jamie Ness $10,321,975 (326/252/1,253); and Christophe Clement, $10,319,052 (124/189/634).

Ortiz, Jr., reached the winner's circle 325 times from 1,363 mounts in 2022 in establishing a single-season earnings record of $37,075,772, eclipsing the previous record of $34.1 million he set in 2019. Ortiz, Jr., also set a single-season record for stakes wins with 80 trips to the winner's circle, breaking the former mark of 76 victories set in 2007 by the late Garret Gomez. Ortiz, Jr., was the leading jockey by earnings for three consecutive years (2018, 2019, and 2020) and finished second last year.

Rounding out the list of top 10 jockeys by North American earnings in 2022 were Flavien Prat, $29,832,252 (236 wins / 1,013 starts); Joel Rosario, $29,250,139 (185/915); Tyler Gaffalione, $27,360,825 (1,491/266); Luis Saez, $24,339,905 (272/1,540); Jose L. Ortiz, $22,551,703 (214/1,189); Florent Geroux, $16,541,638 (125/791); Manuel Franco, $15,179,058 (185/1,140); Juan J. Hernandez, $15,018,565 (211/875); and John R. Velazquez, $13,529,798 (100/625).

Equibase Company is a partnership between The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America and serves as the Thoroughbred industry's official database. Through its website and mobile applications, Equibase offers a comprehensive menu of wagering products, statistical information, and video race replays in support of the North American Thoroughbred racing industry. Additional information is available at equibase.com.

The post Equibase: Godolphin Repeats As Leading Owner; Single-Season Earnings, Stakes Wins Records For Irad Ortiz, Jr.; Chad Brown Leading Trainer appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Entering the new year at Fair Grounds, Bret Calhoun holds a 19-12 lead over four-time track titleholder Brad Cox in the trainer standings at the New Orleans oval.

A native of Dallas, Texas, Calhoun has landed in the top 10 of the Fair Grounds standings 16 consecutive years and he finished as the runner-up three times (most recently in 2014-15), but with nearly three months left at the current meet, does his barn have the ammo to hold the advantage?

“Coming into this meet we had a bunch of Louisiana-breds at the Copper Crowne training center (in Opelousas, Louisiana) waiting to run,” Calhoun said. “They were ready to run and had conditions. The horses from Kentucky, some of them weren't quite ready when we ran them back, and some of them weren't quite good enough in the spots we were running them in there. We had a tough summer, but saved conditions and came down here and things are going well.”

Led by Jack Hammer and Free Drop Maddy with two wins apiece, Calhoun has won ten of his 19 races with Louisiana-breds, and he's already broken eight maidens at the meet.

Calhoun's first Fair Grounds win came in 1996, and 559 of his 3,469 career victories have come in New Orleans.

“Bret is off to an awfully good start at the meet,” said Chester Thomas of Allied Racing Stables, one of Calhoun's top clients. “We've got a couple seconds that we are hopeful can turn to wins. Bret and Reylu (leading jockey Gutierrez) are on fire, we are just happy to be a part of it.”

The post ‘Things Are Going Well’: Calhoun Heads Into 2023 With Momentum At Fair Grounds appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Bob Meeking, a trainer for over seven decades and one of the Washington's most popular and respected horsemen, passed away last week at age 94.

Meeking, who owned the 60-acre Allaire Farms in Poulsbo with his wife, Barbara, had been in poor health the last few years. After missing 2021 while dealing with treatment for colon cancer, Meeking returned to Emerald Downs in 2022 with a nine-horse stable, scoring victories with runners like Wheel Rally and Emerald Sea, and finishing 10th in the Longacres Mile with Kingmeister for longtime clients Fred and Cindy Desimone.

“I always enjoy being at the track,” Meeking said before the 2022 season. “I've been in this industry over many years and seen a lot of changes, but horse racing is a wonderful sport and I it's around for a long time.”

Meeking was born June 6, 1928, in Victoria, British Columbia, and saddled his first starter in 1946 at Lansdowne Park in suburban Vancouver. Meeking trained for a remarkable 75 years, earning a reputation as a patient, high-percentage horseman while conditioning top-flight runners like Longacres Derby winners Mincemeat (1970) and Salad Sam (1976), and multiple stakes winner Bucksaw.

“I think my biggest thrill was my first winner at Santa Anita although a close second was (Mincemeat) winning two Derbys,” Meeking told Daily Racing Form.

In 2018, Meeking participated in a unique contest at Emerald Downs when he saddled Trelawny to a runner-up finish in The Not in Any Rocking Chair Starter Allowance for 3-year-olds and up which have started for a claiming price of $3,500 or less in 2017-18 and whose trainer was born on or prior to June 6, 1928. Trainers of the four runners entered were 94-year-old Arturo Arboleda, 91-year-old H.R. Pat Mullens, 90-year-old Ira Rhodes, and Meeking who had celebrated his 90th the week prior to the race.

Meeking's final victory was July 22 with Emerald Sea, a 4-year-old filly that rallied for a two-length victory in a $15,000 claiming race. At Emerald Downs, Meeking saddled 198 winners while clicking at nearly 16 percent.

The post Washington Trainer Meeking Dies At 94, Career Spanned More Than 75 Years appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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At the close of 2022, Turfway Park's Holiday Meet ended in style with jockey Gerardo Corrales, trainer Paulo Lobo, and owner Larry Best's OXO Equine taking respective titles.

The trio seek to continue their momentum at the Winter/Spring Meet, which runs through Saturday, April 1.

Corrales, represented by veteran agent Cliff Collier, tabbed 30 wins from 104 mounts–a stout 29% win clip. His mounts tallied $1,115,484 in purse earnings. Corrales' meet was highlighted by a victory in the Prairie Bayou Stakes aboard the Lobo-trained Brazilian-bred In Love. The 26-year-old rider also won the Holiday Inaugural Stakes aboard Ready to Venture.

Corrales finished eight wins in front of Joe Ramos. Luan Machado was third with 13 victories followed by Declan Cannon (11) and Manny Esquivel (9).

In the trainer standings, Lobo, who trains many horses for OXO Equine, recorded 11 wins from 29 starters. His runners earned a solid $531,772 in purses. Among his top performers were the aforementioned In Love, along with allowance winners Bromley, Greyes Creek, Koolhous, Purple Dream, Quaria Comet, and Querobin Dourada. Lobo  won a $70,000 maiden special weight contest December 29 with OXO Equine's Itzos, a Bolt d'Oro three-quarter brother to the great Rachel Alexandra.

Lobo finished five wins clear of Doug Cowans and Mike Maker while Brad Cox, Bill Morey, and Wesley Ward were tied in fourth with five victories.

OXO Equine tallied four wins at the Holiday Meet, which tied with Stanley Bergman's Brownwood Farm. OXO Equine's runners earned $205,079, nearly $29,000 more than Brownwood Farm.

“As we end 2022 OXO had a year that saw us hit our record win mark and money won,” Racing Manager Don Chatlos said on Twitter (@DCHI23). “Our trainers and jockeys know they are appreciated but it's the grooms, hot walkers, exercise riders and assistants that do all the heavy lifting. So, it's a toast to them. We can't thank you enough.”

Racing at Turfway Park will continue Wednesday with a first post of 5:55 p.m. (ET)

The post Corrales, Lobo Take Holiday Meet Titles At Turfway appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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